Garment



Dgc. 27, 1927. 1,653,860

J. C. LEDBETTER GARMENT PRESS Filed Dot. 27. 1923 INVFNTOR Patented Dec. Z7, 1927.

Unirse STATES rArENr orrics.

JAMES-C. LEDllnlll".llliill., OF BROOKLYN, NEW' YGRK, ASSIGNGR T0 THE PROSPERITY COMPANY, INC.,`OF SYRACUSE, NEW' YORK, A CORPORATON 0F NEW YORK.`

eAnMnn'r rnnss.

Application filed October 27, 1923. Serial No. 671,120.

This invention relates to presses and more particularly to improvements over the pressing machine shown in my copending application tiled October 27, 1923, Serial Number 671,119.

A main object ot the invention is to provide improvements in pressingI machines possessing improvements therein designed to produce smooth, ellicient, quiet, and easily operated presses capable of producing great pressure, and having provisions by which the opening stresses and strains ot the machine are absorbed against a pneumatic cushion or dashpot, the compressed air from which is in turn utilized to open the press, thereby rendering unnecessary the use of springs or heavy coimterbalance weights for opening the press. A. further object isto produce a pressing machine having facilities tor manually closing the press lightly under initial pressure and `subseopuently increasing the compression between the closed press members to produce final pressure with minimum physical eii'ort. An additional object is to provide structural improvements in the dashpot and in a pneumatic motor for opening the press by utilizing the motive power derived from the reacting compression torce generated by the machine at the inception ot the opening cycle.

Viith the above principal objects in view, the invention has relation to certain improved comliiinations and arrangements of parts, an example oit which is shown in the accompanying drawings illustrating` embodiments ot tlieinvention serving to disclose the construction. and mode of operation thereof. The machine may be varied in construction, operation and use without departing from the principle ot the invention; and it is understood therefore that the marketable structure itself may differ from the drawings in certain respects.

The ligure in the drawing illustrates a pressing machine constructed in accordance with the principles of the invention, the said press being shown closed and in side elevation as well as in partly vertical section.

Referring further to the drawings for a more detailed description or" the invention, there is shown a pressing machine trame 6 upon which a press lever 7 is pivoted at 8; and the forward end of the press lever carries a pressing head 9 which is adapted to engage with great pressure upon the buck 19. A hand hold bar or handle l1 by which the head is manually moved downwardly into contact with the buck is carried by the head. 1the rear end of the press` lever carries a counter balance weight l2 designed to balance the head 9 thereby rendering the head easy to move into Vclosed position by the manual etl'ort of the operator pulling down on the hand 11, and in this machine the function ot the weight is to statically balance the head and not to produce an overbalance condition to raise the head as is' the case with presses know in use, for I employ improved means Ytor raising therhead after the pressing` operation which eliminates springs `and weights heretofore employed for such` purpose, and vwhich the operator i must necessarily physically overcome to close the head. f

A toggle link 14C, comprising a. suitable pressure compensating spring with length adjustor hand wheel and lock nut, is pivotally swung on a bearing 13 carried by the rear end of the press lever 7 andthis link is pivoted to alink l5 the lower end ot which carries a hub 16. The lower end of this roller bearing 17 in the hub within which a cam i8 is rotatably confined Within the said roller bearing. The cam isk iiXed to a shaft i9, and the shaft is journaled in the frame ot' the machine; and an arm 2O is likewise tired to the shaft 19. The cam is therefore capable of being rotated Aby oscillating the arm 20, and suitable manual power means is provided for thus operating the arm and cam ior producing high pressure as will be described. Vilien the pressing machine is in normally open position, Vthe cam arm 20 stands in a vertical position with thecam 18 rotated to its low horizontal position; and similarly after the press head is closed, the cam remains in the saine position until forcibly revolved upwardly by the final pressure creating means as will now be described. e

A cam arm operating toggle, comprising pivotally connected links 2li and 25, has its upper end pivoted at 26 on the press frame and .its lower end pivotally connected at 27 to the cam driving arm 20. A power lever, in this instance a pedal 28, is pivoted at 29 on the trame; and a drawdink` 30 connects the pedal with a toggle voperating lever 3l which lever is pivoted kat 32-upon the press frame, the longer yend thereof being connected with the toggle 24-25 through the agency of a link 33. It is now understood how the pedal 28 is adapted to swing the lever 8l which in turn straightens the toggle 24-25 thereby swinging the cam driving arm 20 downwardly to a horizontal position as shown in the drawing, and thus the cam 18 is rotated upwardly to its position of maximum height which correspondingly lifts the main operating straightened toggle Y14u15 to produce high compression between the pressing members 9 and. 10. rilhe operation of the pedal 28 is accomplished with little manual effort by reason of the fact that the cam and shaft rolls in roller bearings. The press lever 7 is also preferably similarly mounted upon roller bearings whereby the head 9 is easily brought down into Contact with the buck l0 prior to manipulation of the pedal 2S.

lt is to be observed that rthe cam rotating arm 20, is swingable through substantially a ninety degree are, and the pedal and togglemechanism is therefore designed to oscillate theV arm 20 through one-ql'iarter of a revolution to roll the cam in the roller bearings to its uppermost position; and at the beginning of the pedal stroke, the arm 2O easily starts without undue resistance by virtue of the light contacting engagement existing between the closed head and buck, and by virtue of the angular purchase thrust of which the toggle 24-25 is Capable against the arm 20; but as the pedal 28 continues its downward movement, the resistance increases against turning the cam because the head begins to close tightly onto the buck. As the said resistance builds up, the toggle 24-e25 gradually approaches a straight position above the oscillating arm following it down thereby rapidly overcoming the said increasing resistance offered to the rotating cam. At the end of the cam rotation, the cam arm 20 has reached a horizontal position with the toggle 24--25 straightened out in a vertical bracing position and the arm 20 is held locked down by virtue of the straightened locked position of the toggle S51- 33. Thus it is observed hew the design and arrangement of parts are so laid out as to obtain the maximum working efficiency, thus making for ease and convenience in operation of the manually operated high pow-er press. Furthermore all the pedal travel or stroke is utilized to impose fina-l high pressure between the head and buck, thus providing a high leverage operating mechanism calling for an expenditure of minimum effort on the operators part.

A pressing machine of this character ycapable of gei'ierating great pressure necessarily requires efficient opening mechanism by which the substantially large quantity of power accumulated or stored up in the machine parts while under compression may be quietly and safely expended'or absorbed at the inception of the press opening movement; and to this end I providea dashpot designed to absorb the first opening shock of the press, the operation of which generates compressed air which is subsequently utilized to break the main operating toggle and raise the head 9 away from the buck and off of the work after the pressing operation has been completed; and to this end l provide a pneumatic motor supplied by air from the dashpot which acts to break the toggle 14-15 rearwardly, all of which will now be described.

A unitary er Vcombination dashpot cylinder 40 and pneumatic motor cylinder 42 is mounted on the frame of the pressing machine to absorb the opening shock of the moving parts as the final pressure creating means opens, and immediately thereafter the pneumatic motor raises the head. A head 4l is shown common to each cylinder. The dashpot 40 is fitted with a piston 43 which has a connecting rod 44 connected with the pedal 28, and when the pedal 28 rises under the opening force of the toggles driven by the back rotation of the cam, the air within the cylinder 4() is compressed and retards the pedal to prevent violent and noisy contacting of parts, A flap valve 45 normally closes ports in the piston head during the upward reciprocation of the piston 43, but the valve opens as the piston goes down to permit air under atmospheric pressure to flow into the cylinder, thus 'mz-iking ready for the next pedal opening stroke. rThe cylinder head 4l is made with a valve port 4G which connects with a valve passage 47 which leads upwardly to the pneumatic cylinder thereby connecting the dashpot and motor. The dashpot piston `43 carries a valve rod 48 which normally seals and closes off the valve Jassaoe 47 to arevent the compressed air in the cylinder 40 from flowing upwardly to the pneumatic motor 42. This valve `rod 48 is provided with an air passage 49 which registers and communicates with the valve passage 47 shortly after the dashpot piston 43 has moved npwardly partway through the cylinder 40; and thus the compressed air in the cylinder 40 is discharged upwardly into the pneumatic motor by virtue of the registering passages 49 and 47.

A` freely movable pneumatic motor piston 52 is fitted in the cylinder 42, and this piston is provided with ports normally' closed by a fiap valve 53 which permits air to flow into the cylinder 42 during the time the piston 52 is gravitating downwardly from the uppermost to the lowermesf end of the pneumatic motor. The upper end of the cylinder 42 is equipped with a cylinder head 54 through which a push rod 55 reciprocates, and the lower end ot the push rod is provided with a valve seating head to rest against the flap valve 53 during theupward travel ot' the piston and it is therefore understood how the air being discharged. from the dashpot upwardly to the underneath side ot the piston may not escape through the valve ports covered by the flap valve 53 for the reason that the headed push rod a seats the 'flap valve tightly over the piston port.

A bell crank 56 is pivoted at 57 and has connection with the push rod 55. A toggle breaking link or press opening link 58 has one end pivotally attached to the bell crank with its other end pivotally attached to the main operating toggle 14-l5 thereby connecting up the piston 52 with the toggle. A spring thrust cushion 59 is included in the structure of the link 58 making the link longitudinally contractable or eXpansible by which all lost motion existing in the bell crank and push rod connections is removed, and therefore the spring thrust cushion 59 is designed to seat the headed push rod firmly against the valve The link is in fact composed of the two shouldered telescoping elements 58 and 51 with a weak spring coniined therebetween to take up slack and wear in parts. As thecompressed air from the dashpot acts upwardly against the motor piston 52, the piston reciprocates to break the main operating toggle 1li-15 and thus quickly raises the head; and the press head rises easily for the reason that the press lever is sensitively balanced. But the motor so energetically drives the head up that a cushioning stop is sometimes employed by which the head and press lever is brought to rest without rebounding, as will now be described.

A dashpot arm 63 is made integral with the hub 16er with the lower toggle link and carries on the outer end thereof a connecting rod 64 and a piston 65 which slidably lits'in a dashpot cylinder 66 which is anchored to the frame. The dashpot 66 preterably has air ports 67 by which the air escapes from the dashpot during the .tirst part of the upward travel ot the piston therein; and after the piston has passed over the ports, the air coniined in the dashpot acts as a cushion stop to prevent the toggle 14.--15 from approaching its normal resting position with attendant excess noise or violent motion. A hand regulated valve 68 is ineluded in the dashpot by which the operator regulates the resistance and cushioning eilcct ot the air confined therein, and by trial or experiment the valve 68 is properly set to permit the toggle 14-15 to rapidly approach a rear limited position without too violently coming to rest.

After the pneumatic motor piston 52 has spent its force in raising the head, it disconnects and becomes separated from the Vmechanical connection 51--56 and gravltates back to its lowermost position and stands ready for the nextstroke. I have devised this particular pneumatic motor improve ment for raising the press head, and have made the motor piston free and as a separable element to move in the cylinder and have disconnected it -trom the piston rod. 55 in order that the operator will `not have` to physically move the piston in the cylinder during the head closing stroke. inasmuch as the bell crank and other parts en'iployed'for lifting the press head are preferably' carried on ball bearings, and inasmuch as the motor piston is disconnected from these parts, it follows that all parts move freely and the operator does not have to overcome the resistance oi the piston slidingin the motor cylinder.

However my invention is not limited in use to a disconnected Apiston and toggle breaking push rod for in some presses the motor piston is connected to the rod 55 and in such case it is practical to manufacture the piston of pure bakelite and internally polish or nickel plate themotor cylinder, and thus a low coeiiicient ot friction will be found to exist and the parts will function smoothly and trictionlessly with a dry and non-lubricated cylinder.

rllhe machine works easily and does not tire the operator by `further reason of the fact that no springs or counterbalancing weights are employed to overbalance the head -.tor lifting it at the end of the pressing operation. The invention is presented to till a want telt for an improved pressing machine.

llVhat l claim is: A

l. A pressing machine comprising cooperating press members, operating means for opening and closing the press and for producing compression between the members, a dashpot cooperating with the operating means, an air motor cylinder placed in alignment with and forming a part of the dashpot, a cylinder head separating the dashpot and a'1 motor cylinders, said cylinder head being provided with a fluid passage therethrough connecting the dashpot and air motor, and a mechanical connection established between the air motor and operating means.

2. A pressing machine combination comprising cooperating press members, operating means for opening and closing the press, a dashpot cooperating with the operating means, anair motor cylinder carried on the dashpot, said structure having a iud passage connection established between the dashpot and air motor, a mechanical connection established between the air motor and operating means, and means operated by the dashpot acting on t-he fluid passage to closel 'nsl said passage during part of the dashpot operation and open said passage during the remainder of the dashpot operation.

3. A pressing' machine comprising coop*V -dashpot and air motor having a fluid pasn vsage connection established therebetween, a mechanical connection between the air motor 'and operating means` and a separable mea s forming' a part ot the air motor whereby Vsaid separable mens disconnects itself from that portion of the air motor which is connected with the operating means.

ll. A pressing machine combination comprising cooperating' press members` operatiing means tor opening and closing the press, a dashpot cooperating with the operating means, an air motor cylinder nnitarily constructed with and forming a part ci the dashpot, said structure having a fluid passage connection established between the dashpot and air mot rv a mechanical connection established between the air motor and operating means, and a dashpot cushion stop cooperating with the operating ine-:ins to prevent rebounding toward closed position.

5. A press comprising in combination, cooperating press members, a press opening and closing means and con'ipressing means, a cylinder, a head disposed in the cylinder dividing it into dashpot and air motor sections, a luid connection established between the dashpot and closing and compressing means, and a mechanical connection made between the air motor and press opening 6. A pressing machine combination comprising cooperating press members at least one of which is movable, a handle carried upon the movable press member by which the operator closes the press, a toggle linkage connected with the movable member, a cam upon which the linkage is pivotally supported at its lower end, an arm fixed to the neeaseo cam, a toggle having one end fixed pivotally and the other end pivotally attached to the arm, a power pedal connected with the toggle by which the t'ull pedal stroke is utilized in swinging the arm and rotating the cam, a combination dashpot and air motor connected with the said power pedal by which the strain incident to the opening of the press is dissipated against an air cushion, and a lost motion connection established between the toggle linkage and air motor tor opening the press by the Atorce ot compressed air received i'rom the dashpot.

i". ln combination, a pressing machine comprising cooperating pressing' members movable one in relation with the other, operator actuated means for forcing the members into tight compression, a dashpot to absorb the opening shock at the inception of the parting movement of the pressing members, motor means connected with the dashpot, a lost motion connection established between the motor means and pressing members for driving the head up by power de* rived trom the dashpot, and a spring employed to maintain tant the lost motion connection.

8. ln combination a pressing machine embodying pressing members, levers for opening and closing the press, a dashpot connected with the levers, anair motor receiving air Jtrom the dashpot, va control valve in the air motor, an expansible connecting rod serving to join the air motor to the levers, and means operated by the connecting rod for closing the valve.

9. In combination, a pressing machine embodying pressing members, levers for opening' and closing` the press, an air motor, a control valve in the air motor, an expansible connecting rod serving to join the air motor to the levers and means operated by the connecting' rod for closing the valve, and means operated by the press for compressing` air and discharging same into the air motor.l

In testimony whereof l affix my signature.

JAMES C. LEDBETTER. 

